2 Lauderdale Teens Get New Lease On Life

Two teens who pleaded no contest to attempted murder and other charges after trying to blow up their Pompano Beach school, convinced a Broward judge on Thursday to terminate their probation early.

Broward Circuit Judge Stanton S. Kaplan said that Adam "A.J." Walker and Burke DeCesare have turned themselves into "model citizens" in the five years since the incident.

Walker and DeCesare, both of Fort Lauderdale, were 14 when they planted a bomb in a classroom ceiling at St. Coleman's Catholic School in February 1996.

The device, rigged to explode at the flick of a light switch, failed when their science teacher, Mae Groleau, turned on the lights.

The two teens spent nearly three years on house arrest and electronic monitoring before pleading no contest to the charges. In December 1998, Kaplan sentenced them as youthful offenders to six years of probation.

Now 19, Walker and DeCesare have both performed extremely well on probation, their attorneys said. They have not even come close to violating the law since their 1996 arrests, defense attorneys Mike Dutko and Michael Gelety said.

Walker is on a full golf scholarship at Nova Southeastern University, where he is majoring in business and has a 3.8 grade point average.

Last year, the Air Force Academy tried to recruit him as a "blue chip athlete" to a coveted spot in its freshman class. But he dropped out of the selection procedure when it was reported in the Sun-Sentinel, his attorneys said, because of concerns that it would generate controversy if he accepted the position.

And in November 1999, Walker was named to the Sun-Sentinel All-County golf team, partly because he had the lowest stroke average in the county.

DeCesare is also doing very well. He is studying computer engineering at the University of Florida and has a 3.7 GPA. Back in Fort Lauderdale for the summer break, he is working seven days a week at a computer job and is attending supplementary classes at Broward County Community College.

"These two are success stories," Gelety told the judge, urging him to reward them for five years of good behavior.

Probation officers and prosecutors, who had recommended that the two serve 16 years in prison, objected to the defense's request for the probation terms to be cut short because of the seriousness of the crimes.

The two had 31/2 more years of probation to complete.

"These two defendants got a tremendous gift from the court [in 1998]," said prosecutor Stephanie Newman. "They haven't completed even half of their sentences yet."

Groleau, the teacher who was the target of the bomb, and a student who entered the classroom with her, were not in court on Thursday.

Kaplan said he was happy to cut short the probation.

"I don't see any need for it anymore," the judge said. "I don't think either of these gentlemen are going to cause any problems in the future."

Before the probation is officially terminated, DeCesare must pay $3,245 and Walker must pay $2,797 in court costs.

As they hugged their parents outside the courtroom, Walker and DeCesare said they did not want to comment.